Scott Peters endorses Fletcher for mayor

The congressman joins a number of other Democratic legislators who are backing Fletcher's bid to replace former Mayor Bob Filner in a Nov. 19 special election.

"Our city is divided, we've had too much lining up on one side or the other," said Peters, who is facing a political contest of his own against former mayoral hopeful Carl DeMaio. The former San Diego city councilman is seeking to unseat Peters in the 52nd Congressional district. "We have too many people thinking, I've got to be on this team because that guy is against me or I've got to be on the other team because I don't trust the other people, and it's very rare that we have someone come along who wants to run for mayor who has the experience and the ability to actually bring people together, and that's Nathan Fletcher."

Faced with a short time frame to rev up their campaigns before the November election, the leading mayoral candidates -- Fletcher and City Council members Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez -- are having to rely heavily on volunteers to scour San Diego neighborhoods for support. Backers have also formed independent committees in hopes of raising substantial sums to help finance advertising on television and by mail. Former City Attorney Michael Aguirre, also a candidate in the race, has pledged to not accept any donations over $250.

Fletcher, who was unable to appear Friday in the first mayoral debate of the campaign because of an unspecified scheduling conflict, repeated a common campaign theme of working on behalf of neighborhoods.

"I believe it's time we invest in our neighborhoods," said Fletcher, a former state assemblyman. "I believe it's time we invest in pubic safety, I believe it's time we invest in a sustainable future for San Diego that gives all San Diegans an equal shot at success."

In all, there are 19 candidates seeking to run for mayor, but a final count won't be known until Wednesday when the City Clerk will have finished verifying required signatures submitted by each of the prospective contenders.